Admittedly, I don’t know much about wrestling.  But it doesn’t take a genius to understand that David Taylor is really really good.

The four-time state champion and two-time national champ has originally committed to Iowa State University because of Sanderson.

Taylor finished his Falcons career with a 180-2 record, becoming just the 17th wrestler to win four state titles. He’s also the only four-time winner at the prestigious Ironman Tournament.

But wait, there’s more.

Not just garnering Ohio laurels, Taylor is a two-time Asics First Team All-American and has claimed the Beast of the East crown…an unprecedented four times. He is the only wrestler in that tournament’s long and storied history to win four titles. He also won three Cadet and two Junior National titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition. Taylor was a member of the 2007 FILA Junior World team as well.

Taylor isn’t just the top ranked 152-pounder in the country, he’s rated as the top recruit, overall, by most of the wrestling recruiting services.  Along with Sanderson’s other recruits, Taylor brings a major infusion of talent to the Penn State wrestling program.

And don’t be concerned that Taylor’s a meathead, either, as he was the 2009 recipient of the Dave Schultz National High School Excellence Award presented annually to the wrestler who displays excellence in wrestling, scholastic achievement, character, citizenship, and community service.

Nothing against Troy Sunderland, but he simply couldn’t recruit this well.  When you have someone like Cael Sanderson, who’s not just a phenomenal coach, but also perhaps the greratest wrestler of all time, wouldn’t it be an easy choice?  How anyone could turn down an invitation to learn wrestling from Cael Sanderson is beyond me, and apparently to the recruits Sanderson is bringing in.  Sanderson’s salary is unprecedented for a wrestling coach, but if his teams perform up to the talent he’s recruited, there’s no reason he won’t deserve it.  This is the first step to rebuilding a storied program.

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